I arrived quite late to the Nutella party (I only tasted it for the first time a few months ago), but I fell in love instantly. Despite the fact that the ingredients make me somewhat uncomfortable, I have still found myself eating it straight from the jar on more than one occasion.

I know I’m not the only one who loves the stuff. A couple of words in my facebook status bar to the tune of “I’m attempting homemade nutella” got some of my friends really excited. So when my first batch didn’t go all that well (I over toasted the hazelnuts), I knew I had to try again.

I have successfully made this chocolate hazelnut spread/homemade nutella a few times now. It’s super easy. I made one batch with maple syrup, and if you avoid sugar, you might want to try that. I personally prefer the consistency with the organic powdered (confectioner’s) sugar, but I like to remind you that there are options. You could also add a little vanilla extract or the scraped seeds from half a vanilla bean.

You start by toasting the hazelnuts on a cookie sheet.

Some recipes call for doing this at 400°F but this didn’t work out well for me (I over toasted them, remember?). I recommend 350°F for 10 minutes. It’s enough for them to become fragrant and for the shells to loosen, plus it ensures there won’t be any “burnt” flavor.

Once the hazelnuts are toasted, you need to rub the skins off. Kind of a pain, but it’s got to be done. You can use a towel, but I just use my fingers. If they don’t all come off, don’t worry about it. From there, you just whir the hazelnuts into a butter in your food processor and then add the rest of the ingredients. Process again until you’ve got a delicious chocolate hazelnut spread.

I’ll tell you right now that this does not taste exactly like Nutella. It’s not quite as sweet and it’s not as smooth (because it doesn’t contain as much sugar, questionable oils, or emulsifiers). But it’s pretty close. And it’s better for you.

A little oil helps to make the finished product spreadable. I used organic coconut oil. Coconut oil is only liquid when it’s warm out (which it was when I made this). If your coconut oil is hard (and it you plan to store the finished nutella in the refrigerator, you might want to use organic grapeseed oil (or if you’ve got hazelnut oil, you could use that instead).

Note that you really need to use a food processor to make this recipe. I tried it in my Blendtec blender and it just didn’t work. I don’t like dragging my food processor out any more than you do, but I promise it’s worth it.

Directions:

1. Place toasted and skinned nuts in a food processor. Process until the nuts turn into a smooth paste (you may need to scrape the bowl a few times so all the nuts get ground up evenly...this takes a few minutes).

2. When the nuts have been processed into hazelnut butter, add the powdered sugar, cacao/cocoa and sea salt. Process again until smooth.

3. Add the oil and process once more. Your homemade nutella should now have a spreadable consistency.

4. Transfer your chocolate hazelnut spread to an airtight container. Storing it in the refrigerator will make it harden up and it won't be easy to spread, but that's the best place to store it if you want your homemade Nutella to last for a while. If you think it will get eaten up in a few days, you can store it at room temperature.

Homemade Nutella is great as a dip for fruit, spread onto your favorite bread, or, let’s be honest, eaten straight with a spoon.

Wow wow wow. I’ll admit to the “out of jar eating.” Thankfully, my guilt is low because my husband takes full responsibility in restocking the pantry. I’ve got hazelnut oil, so I’m looking forward to trying this more naturally sinful version. I’m sure it was difficult retesting this recipe, but it was for a good cause!

Mmm, this looks delicious. I haven’t eaten nutella for years and years, but this has inspired me to try it. As I child I used to love chocolate spread, which was like nutella but without the nuts – not very healthy at all, but so, so tasty!

Nice! I haven’t had Nutella since returning to the US after living for years in South Africa, where it’s very popular. I love this homemade, healthier version, which looks surprisingly easy to make too.

Oh wow thanks so much for sharing this! I became a nutella addict in college but then when I started eating better, I dropped it from my rotation. the idea of making a homemade version is too wonderful to say no to!

I love that you did this! I have a soy allergy and am unable to eat Nutella, plus I like to avoid processed foods when possible, so the thought that I could make this on my own is lovely! Thank you so much for sharing!

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Alison Lewis and rich tutching, Winnie Abramson. Winnie Abramson said: This is an older post, but since it's world nutella day, I figured I'd share it again! http://su.pr/2puR98 #nutelladay [...]

I can’t wait to try this! Hubbell and Hudson has a hazelnut/carob chip machine that works like the machine that makes fresh peanut or almond butter. And you’re right, it doesn’t taste exactly like Nutella, but it’s delicious and so much better for you because it’s only the nuts and the carob chips. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Love this recipe. I have tried another recipe and it did not turn out so good. This is sweet enough and creamy. I just left the food processor on until very smooth. I placed mine in fridge so I would not eat it all and I like the hardness to it. Coconut oil is my favorite and use when possible. I am sending this recipe on to friends to try instead of buying nutella. Thanks

[...] with it, here are a few recipes from the official World Nutella Day website to get you started: -Homemade Nutella from Healthy Green Kitchen -Nutella Fudge Pops from Chocolate Covered Katie -Banana Pear Nutella [...]

[…] have Nutella at your store? Then get out your Cuisinart and try Healthy Green Kitchen’s Homemade Chocolate Hazlenut Spread recipe. A little less sweet than the jarred stuff, it also happens to be vegan which will go over big […]

Welcome!

Hi there! I'm Winnie. I am a published author and I create and photograph seasonally inspired recipes here at Healthy Green Kitchen. I am also a body positive, habit-focused nutrition and strength coach, as well as a competitive powerlifter. I live in NY's Hudson Valley with my husband, kids, cats, dogs, and chickens.